Hill balks at most Obama budget cuts

Congressional appropriators so far have agreed to only four of President Obama's proposed cuts in 11 nonmilitary discretionary programs, according to an analysis of the fiscal 2010 budget documents and appropriations bills.

Obama has been under pressure from Republicans to reduce federal spending and in May released a list of 121 programs, mandatory and discretionary, that he recommended be terminated or cut, with a total savings of $17 billion.

About $12 billion of those savings would come from discretionary programs, and half of that from defense programs. The other $5 billion comes from cutting mandatory spending or repealing tax expenditures.

In addition to following only part of his wishes on the reductions, Congress has agreed to terminate just 11 of the 48 programs President Obama targeted. All the appropriations bills have yet to go through conference, so further cuts might be possible.

While "the president deserves some credit" for proposing cuts and terminations, Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz said the situation "is a sign of Congress' willingness to spend everything they can right now and their lack of fiscal discipline."

The four programs that appropriators have agreed to reduce include the Interior Department's Abandoned Mine Lands discretionary grants for emergency abandoned coal mine land reclamation, which received $20 million in fiscal 2009. Obama requested $7 million for fiscal 2010.

The White House said the program was unnecessary because 2006 changes to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act boosted funding for the Abandoned Mine Land program for states and tribes, including new mandatory funding for reclamation grants.

"The increase in mandatory funding to the States and Tribes allows the Office of Surface Mining to begin phasing out discretionary funds for AML emergency programs," OMB said.

The House agreed, but went further by providing no funding for emergency grants. The Senate provided $6 million for the program.

House and Senate appropriators provided $30 million for the African Development Foundation Program and $41 million for the Labor Department's Office of Labor Management Standards -- the same amount Obama requested for both. In fiscal 2009, the African program received $33 million and the Labor program received $45 million.

Obama sought $3 million for HHS' Real Choice Systems Change grants, which help states provide community-based support for the disabled. The House provided no funding and the Senate provided $2.5 million. It received $3 million in fiscal 2009.

Appropriators disagreed with Obama's request to snip $244 million from low-performing Army Corps of Engineers projects funded from the general construction account. Obama recommended $1.7 billion, but the House provided $2.1 billion and the Senate $1.9 billion.

Obama requested $52 million in fiscal 2010 for the Election Assistance Grants program, which received $106 million in fiscal 2009. The House agreed with Obama and provided $52 million, but the Senate proposes $106 million.

Obama also sought to stop a Food and Drug Administration FDA earmark to the University National Center for Natural Products Research. "Funding construction and renovation for a nonfederal, earmarked facility is outside the Food and Drug Administration's regulatory mission to assure the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics," OMB said.

But appropriators disagreed. The House included a $1.6 million requested by Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss., and the Senate included $3.5 million requested by Senate Appropriations ranking member Thad Cochran and Sen. Roger Wicker, both Mississippi Republicans.

The White House sought to cut back funding for an Alaskan Villages Infrastructure program which OMB said has had a "history of management problems" to $10 million from $19 million.

The House acceded to Obama's request and provided $10 million, but the Senate provided $15 million, including a $5 million earmark for the program sought by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.